Chicken, noodle and pancetta soup
🍲 The ultimate chicken soup from Cookbook Tome 1 This recipe comes straight out of my Tome 1 cookbook. I wanted a great chicken noodle soup, but with the flavor cranked way up. Crispy pancetta changed everything: it brings a smoky base that no broth can fake. With juicy boneless chicken thighs, kale, nostalgic alphabet pasta and a blonde beer that deglazes the cooking juices, this is the bowl that brings you back to life after a long crappy day, a rainy Saturday afternoon or a winter storm night. 🔥 The secret? A solid base and layers of flavor The trick is to sear EACH ingredient separately before bringing it all together. The pancetta gives a smoky base, the chicken browns properly, the vegetables caramelize gently, and the blonde beer deglazes everything for a depth of flavor impossible to fake with broth alone. Skip the searing = flat soup. And don’t forget to salt. Under-seasoning is the number one mistake people make. 🥣 A « chunky » soup that fills you up. My signature I love my soups with body. Soups that fill you up, that feel like a real meal and not just a colored broth. That’s why this version packs in pancetta, chicken, kale and alphabet pasta: every spoonful needs substance. Perfect for warming up guests at a winter party, for Sunday dinner, or for freezing in individual portions to pull out on busy weeks. Trust me, this becomes your go-to soup.
Ingredients
- 375 ml (1 1/2 cups (375 ml)) alphabet pasta
- 125 g (4 1/2 oz) pancetta, diced
- Olive oil
- 5 chicken thighs (about 400 g / 14 oz) boneless and skinless, diced
- 1/2 Spanish onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced
- 1 large carrot, cut in half (or quarters) lengthwise, then sliced
- 750 ml (3 cups (750 ml)) kale leaves, roughly chopped
- 250 ml (1 cup (250 ml)) light blonde beer, lager type (or white wine or chicken broth)
- 1 tsp (5 ml) Italian spices
- 1 tsp (5 ml) dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp (2 ml) dried parsley
- 1.5 liters (6 cups (1.5 L)) low-sodium chicken broth, hot
- 1 liter (4 cups (1 L)) water
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- 1
--- Préparation ---
- 2
In a pot filled with salted boiling water, cook the pasta al dente following the package instructions. Drain in a colander, rinse generously under cold water and drain again. Set aside.
- 3
In a large pot heated over medium-low heat, add the pancetta, drizzle with a thin stream of olive oil and mix. Cook about 5 minutes or until the pancetta is crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta from the pot and reserve in a bowl. Discard three-quarters of the fat in the pot.
- 4
Return the pot to medium-high heat, add the chicken, season with salt and pepper. Cook while stirring for 7 to 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Add oil as needed. Remove the chicken from the pot with a slotted spoon and reserve with the pancetta.
- 5
Reduce heat to low, add the onion and garlic, then drizzle with a thin stream of olive oil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes while stirring.
- 6
Add the celery and carrot and drizzle with olive oil. Continue cooking for 7 to 8 minutes while stirring. Season with salt and pepper. Add the kale and cook 3 minutes while stirring.
- 7
Pour the beer and scrape the bottom well to get all the flavorful cooking juices! Cook 1 minute while stirring.
- 8
Add the spices, chicken broth, water, season with salt and pepper, then mix. Cover, bring to a boil and reduce to low heat. Let simmer covered for 10 minutes.
- 9
Add the chicken, pancetta and pasta. Mix and let simmer 2 more minutes before serving.
Cook it from the original
This recipe comes from lecoupdegrace.ca. Their page has the author’s own photos, notes and tips — the best place to cook it from.
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